Honor and Blood
by SymbolLuna
Summary: Since birth, Leila has been forced to live a very dark and dishonest life. But after being discovered near death on a riverbank, the Companions offer her a second chance. Farkas/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I could not, for the life of me, think of a better summary. Lol, I'll work on that. I don't own Skyrim or the cover image. **

You're never really aware of yourself until you realize you've reached the end. Once you cross that line, it's automatic. You can't stop it- you're just a spectator to your own death. You can hear nothing but the pounding of your heart and the rush of your blood. You can feel nothing but burning lungs, your legs moving faster and faster despite the fact that they should have given out miles ago.

Leila didn't know why she was still running. She couldn't stop. She was just a spectator to the events that were now unfolding. Even though she knew what was coming now, she did not feel anxiety or fear, but simple and utter relief. It was over. Finally, after years and years, she had to run but a little farther and she would never have to take another step.

But, still, why did she run? Is it such a basic instinct to survive, to press on, even when there is nothing? She could stop. The men chasing her would surely deliver her to an inevitable end. But she did not stop. She kept going. On and on and on past the limit she ever realized her body could take. If it was to be her end, it would truly be _hers. _Cowardly as it may be to run, she would have this on her terms. The only thing she would ever have on her terms in her life was the act of extinguishing it.

The trees grew scarce. Leila had weaved through them effortlessly, their dark, twisted branches latched onto her as if to slow her down, but she was fast and the end was in sight. Breaking through the tree line, she looked up. Masser and Secunda reared their beautifully blemished faces out from behind the clouds to give her audience. The stars peeked and shone brilliantly through the black veil as the Aurora lights blanketed the sky.

Leila didn't watch where she was going- she didn't need to. She kept her eyes on the sky, finding comfort in knowing that there was a beauty more everlasting than the evils of men. It gave her hope. And as she ran off the cliff, fading quickly and falling fast- it gave her peace.

It was late morning when Farkas decided to step off the road and take a path that led him to a river's edge. He'd just finished clearing out a cave of bandits- his latest assignment for the Companions. He expected to be back in Whiterun by dusk, if not sooner.

He made his way down to the river bank, his heavy armored boots stomping through the mud, and crouched by the side of the water. Cupping some into his large hands, he splashed it over his face and on his neck. He didn't need to rest, but small break was a welcomed one. However, he didn't plan on staying any longer than he needed to. But, as he stood, something caught his attention a little further down the river bed.

With his curiosity grabbing the better of him, he made his way over with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Not that he was particularly worried about an ambush. Even if that were to happen, he could easily manage it by himself. But, as he got closer, he realized it was the figure of a person, a woman, laying there motionless.

Farkas quickly rushed over and crouched at her side. She was so frozen to the touch that he didn't suspect she could be alive. Gently, he rolled her over onto her back. Her lips were blue and her skin was pale as death. He checked for a pulse but couldn't feel anything.

"Hey," he said loudly, "hey lady, you alive in there?" He waited for a moment, but there was no response. He was about to stand up when the woman's head rolled from side to side and she mumbled something that he couldn't understand. "What?" he asked, but she didn't say anything more.

There was no way Farkas could leave her here. She would certainly die if he did. Scooping her into his arms, he held her close to his body, hoping to share some of his warmth. He had taken a back road, there were no stops between here and Whiterun. He would have to get her to Danica and quickly, though it didn't look like the chances of the girl lasting two miles was very likely. He carried her bridal style and kept a quick pace. Every now and then he would see her eyes flutter and then be still again. "Just hang on a little longer." he would tell her, not knowing if she could actually hear him or if she had any conscious awareness at all.

Her skin began to unthaw in the midday sun, which Farkas took to be a good thing. He'd managed to keep a fast pace for an immense distance and soon enough the city of Whiterun was on the horizon. "We're almost there," he told her. He hadn't seen her eyes flutter anymore, but he didn't stop to waste the time to check if she was breathing. He would just assume that she was and take her to the Temple of Kynareth.

When the guards saw him running up the road with the unconscious woman, they quickly opened the gates and let him through. The townsmen watched as he passed them by, quickly climbing the stairs to the residential district. "Open the door!" he shouted as he made his way towards the temple. A guard opened it for him and he rushed inside. "Danica! This woman needs help. Now."

Danica, an older woman in orange and yellow hooded robes, stopped whatever it was she was doing and rushed over. "Set her on the table there," she told him. She grabbed onto the woman's wrist and placed a hand on her chest. "The life within her is faint. Very faint. But I will do what I can to revive it. How did you come across her?" She asked, gliding her hands over the girls body, aglow with the blessings of healing.

"She was lying face down on a river bank," he informed her.

Danica pursed her lips in response and started giving orders to her apprentices, asking them to bring her various items that Farkas wasn't familiar with. "We're going to need space, I don't know how long with this will take or if I can revive her, but I ask that you return to Jorrvaskr. I will inform you of a change."

Farkas didn't want to leave the woman- he felt it was his duty to watch over her until she was better. Or until the alternative took place. But, he knew he could offer no assistance and that Danica was good at what she did. So, without a word, he turned and left the temple.

As he entered Jorrvaskr, his friends greeted him from the large table that squared around the fire pit. "Farkas has returned to us earlier than expected! Come, brother, eat and give us tale of your latest adventure." Aela, said, raising her tankard in his direction.

Farkas had no appetite despite having physically strained himself, "where is Vilkas?" his tone was serious and his friends quickly realized that something was off.

"He's in the yard with Kodlak."

Without further hesitation, Farkas made his way outside, where his brother Vilkas and Kodlak stood conversing with one another. "Farkas, you've returned sooner than I thought you would," Kodlak said, noticing the man's presence.

Vilkas smiled at his brother, but it quickly faded as he saw the look in his eyes, "what is it? What's happened?"

"I found a woman. On my way back. I thought her dead, but she breathed barely. She is with Danica now."

"Well, if anyone knows what to do it would be her. She couldn't be in better care," Vilkas reassured. "You did a noble thing, brother, you may have just saved that girl's life."

"Danica says she'll send someone if there's a change," Farkas informed.

"Well," Kodlak chimed in, "until then you should get some rest, eat some food."

Farkas shook his head, "I'm going to wait outside the temple. Stand guard."

Kodlak and Vilkas looked after the man as he walked past them and out of their sight. Farkas returned to the temple and stood outside of the door, waiting. It didn't matter how long he had to wait. And so he stood there. For a very long time. The midday sun gave into a colorful evening and that, too, eventually faded as the sky darkened. The moths danced around the torches and the shops closed as people returned to their homes for the night. There was still no word. The temple door hadn't opened. Whether that was a good sign or a bad one, Farkas didn't know.

Vilkas made his way down the steps of Jorrvaskr and across the square to where Farkas stood. He admired his brother's endurance and strength- it was something that never seemed to fail him. "No word yet?" Vilkas asked.

"No," Farkas responded.

"If you want, brother, I will wait for the news of the girl and you can go rest."

"No. I need to be here."

"I figured you'd say as much, but I thought I'd ask anyways. You mind if I wait with you a while then? I'm curious to see if the girl makes it."

"She will," Farkas said.

"Aye, death is too afraid with you hanging around."

"Got that right,"

Vilkas opened his mouth to say something more but was cut short by a loud, piercing scream. The brothers looked at each other for a split second before simultaneously bursting through the doors. "What's going on!?" Vilkas demanded

Farkas saw the girl he'd rescued hours ago standing with wide eyes and a terrified look on her face, "where am I!?" she demanded.

"Calm down, we aren't going to hurt you! We're here to help you!"

"WHERE AM I!?" She demanded once more.

"Whiterun," Farkas told her, holding his hands out to show her that he had no hostile intention. "I found you on riverbank and brought you here."

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

"You were practically dead," he told her.

"Yes," Danica chimed in, "and it's a miracle you are standing here, but you need to calm down."

The girl look at Farkas, shocked, "you mean I'm not-?" Her mouth opened in disbelief and she shook her head. "No, no, no," she said, tears beginning to run down her face. "Why would you do that? Why would you!? What gives you the right!?"

Farkas looked at the girl, confused. Glancing over at his brother, he saw him to have a similar look on his face. The girl sunk to the ground and huddled in on herself. "There's nothing that can be done for her, physically. She's in shock. She needs rest." Danica told them.

"We have empty beds at Jorrvaskr, we'll make sure she's taken care of," Vilkas said.

Farkas slowly walked over to where the girl was sitting on the floor. He didn't know how to handle crying women, how to comfort them or make them stop. He reached down towards her but she flinched away, "don't touch me!"

"I ain't gonna hurt you," he said, "you're safe now." She looked up at him then and he knelt down next to her. "I'm Farkas."

She blinked at him a few times then wiped her face, "Leila," she said.

"It's good to meet you, Leila." He offered her his hand and very hesitantly she accepted and let him help her to her feet.

"We have a place for you to stay," Vilkas chimed in, "we offer food and shelter and protection until you are well again. We're the Companions, we help people."

Leila had a nervous look about her, but let them guide her back to Jorrvaskr nonetheless. As they went inside and were met with curious eyes and hushed whispers, her nervousness and the panic in her eyes grew and she stuck closer to Farkas. "They're friends," he told her. "C'mon," he said, leading her down the stairs to a living quarters. He led her to a good sized room with a large bed. "This is my room," Farkas told Leila, "you can rest here."

She offered him a small smile and he left the room, shutting the door behind him. "You give her your room?" Vilkas asked coming up next to him.

"Did you see the way she was when she saw everyone? I didn't think she'd be comfortable sharing a room with others."

Vilkas nodded, "aye, I suppose that you're right."

On the other side of the door, Leila took off her shoes and crawled into the bed, leaving her clothes on and pulling the blankets up around her. She wasn't so sure that she should sleep here, but it became harder and harder to resist. She felt very disoriented and knew she had to take her chances and close her eyes. And so she did and was drug down into a world of deep, deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Leila awoke with a gasp and frantically took in her surroundings. She was lying alone in a bed in a room that she did not recognize. She pressed her hands to the side of her head trying to remember what had happened. Her memory felt all fuzzy and she struggled to grasp onto anything. She remembered cold and darkness… Men where yelling…. Men were yelling and she was…running? Her head snapped up and her eyes widened as she remembered. She grabbed at her own body to be sure it wasn't an illusion. _But…didn't I die? Where the hell am I? _She bit the insides of mouth until they bled as she tried to concentrate. She could remember part of a man's face and a voice, but only bits of what he had said. _"Food and shelter," _it said, _"place to stay…help people….protection….we help people….companions-" _

"Oh shit," she swore in a whisper. She couldn't be here. The Companions? Leila had to get out of here before they realized who she was. "Think, Leila, think," she told herself. The men who'd been after her had to know she wasn't dead, they would have taken her body, even after watching her jump off the cliff. Which means they are still going to be looking for her and it's only a matter of time before they came to Whiterun. Not that she would have to worry about them if the Companions found out who she was. Leila didn't think there was really any way that they could, but if the Dark Brotherhood showed up on their doorstep they would hand her over for a fist-full of coin. She needed to get out of here. Get a horse and a head start in the other direction.

She swung her legs over the bed and into her boots. Leila noticed she was still wearing the same clothes, they were tattered, but not dirty or wet. One of the Companions must've taken her to a magic healer who took the liberty of cleaning her up. She cracked the door and slipped out quietly, hugging the wall and peeking around the corner. Leila had never actually been to Jorrvaskr, in fact, she'd never been to Whiterun, but she knew there were two exits, both on the first level. Not seeing anyone in the corridor, she took a left to the end of the hall and opened the door to a set of steps. Quickly she formulated a few lines in her head before slowly going up the stairs.

She wasn't able to take very many steps towards the exit before the Companions immediately noticed her presence. They stared at her and she stared back, not wanting to make the first contact. "Leila!" a voice called out and a very large man got up from his seat and started her way, "it's good to see you awake!"

Leila took a step back defensively and the man stopped, "who are you?" she demanded, "where am I?"

"I'm Farkas, I'm the one who found you on the riverbank and brought to Whiterun. You're at Jorrvaskr, home of the Companions. You've been out for three days."

_ Three days. _Leila's chest tightened. That meant she had less time than he she needed, they could show up any second now. Leila made sure her voice came out sounding genuine and sincere, "well…thank you, for everything," she looked at Farkas and smiled, "I wish I had something to give you in thanks, but at the moment, I'm afraid I don't. Once I return home, I'll have something sent for you."

"And where exactly is it that you call home, friend?" A man that resembled Farkas, thought much smaller, spoke up to her from the table.

"A few miles east of Solitude," she lied effortlessly.

"You're an awful long way from home then, aren't you?" It wasn't really a question.

"I have a cousin a little ways outside Riften who owns a farm with his brother. Unfortunately, his brother was killed in the war and alone my kin couldn't have made the harvest and he would have lost his home. I was on my way back home when I ran into bandits. They took my horse, my supplies, everything. When I ran, they chased me and…well…the rest is history," she told him.

"Were the bandits also on horseback?" A woman in a green hunting outfit with red hair, war paint and a bow spoke.

"Yeah," Leila told her, "they were."

"If they were all on horseback, what need did they have with yours?"

"Aela," Farkas snapped.

"I'm simply wondering," she smiled mischievously. Leila had been in enough situations to know that something was up, they way they questioned her and looked at told her they were suspicious of something.

"Well, I didn't exactly stop to ask them, but an extra horse just means extra gold, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Yes," Farkas said, glaring at the woman, "it does," he turned his attention back towards Leila, "how about we get you something to eat?"

"Actually," she told him, "I'm not hungry and I've been a big enough inconvenience already, I should just get going."

"You have no horse, no coin and no provisions and you're wanting to leave all the way across Skyrim, without a meal, for Solitude?" a bald, older man in wolf armor spoke up.

"I'll manage," she told him.

"It's not an inconvenience," Farkas told her, "you haven't eaten in days, you need it."

Without being able to see any alternative, she nodded, "okay," she told him, as he led her to a seat between him and his brother. Leila couldn't say she felt all to comfortable in the position, especially with the eyes of all the Companions boring into her. They definitely knew something was up. Considering the huntress had asked if the bandits had been on horseback, it was likely she'd went back to the area Farkas had found her and discovered the tracks left behind. The men who were chasing her were not actually bandits, they were Brotherhood. They would have been in sync and ridden in a tactical formation, something that anyone could tell would not be the work of bandits. It was likely they thought she was simply a fugitive, being hunted by the Imperials. If it was brought up, she could work that angle. Her deceased cousin was a Stormcloak and although she had no ties to the rebellion herself, after his death the Imperials had come for his relatives, believing them to be an party to the uprising. Yeah. That would work, she told herself.

Leila managed to focus on the food she had been given, despite the watchful eyes of those around her, including the smaller brother on her left, whose hand rested near the blade he kept at his hip. Farkas glared at his Companions, he seemed to be the only one on her side. Likely feeling responsible since he found her first, but she wasn't oblivious to his curious gaze as well.

After finishing the food, Leila stood up, "thank you all very much for your hospitality. But I have imposed enough and should get a head start while there's still much daylight."

"I think you should stay a while longer," the brother said.

"I agree, Vilkas," Aela chimed, "you've suffered quite an ordeal, it would do you some good to take a few more days to get back on your feet. Don't you think so, Farkas?"

Farkas looked down at Leila and she looked back. He seemed to be pretty hesitant and Leila was starting to get agitated. She didn't have time to sit here and be interrogated by the godsdamn Companions. She never wanted to resort to violence, but if it was going to be necessary, she'd rather take on the Companions than who else would undoubtedly be coming now. "Well…it wouldn't hurt," he said.

"Then it's settled," Vilkas said, "we should go inform Kodlak."

"Good idea," the bald man said.

Vilkas stood up, "come on then. He'll want to meet you. The old man likes to know what kind of people will be staying under his roof for any length of time," he shot her a look and made his way back towards the stairs.

Finding no better alternative at the moment, she followed, Farkas beside her, "you'll like Kodlak, he's a good man."

Leila smiled, noticing the bald man standing up slowly and making his way over as they went down the stairs. Leila knew a trap when she saw one, but thought it best to go with it and stick to her story. Vilkas led them to the end of the hall, through two large doors where and old man sat at a small table. Kodlak looked at her for a long moment as the bald man slipped in and grabbed Leila from behind. Vilkas shut the doors.

"Skjor!" Farkas barked, "what the hell do you think you're doing, let her go!" the man growled and stepped towards Skjor, but his brother held him back. Skjor pushed her against the wall and drew his sword. Leila held her hands up and looked between the four mens' faces.

"Who are you?" Skjor asked. When Leila didn't respond he backed her up against the wall with the edge of his sword.

"I told you! My name is Leila, I'm just on my way home from helping my cousin on his farm outside Riften. I live a few miles outside Solitude. I was attacked by bandits-"

"They weren't bandits," Skjor said.

Leila bit her lip, "okay," she said, "okay they weren't bandits. They were Imperials, I didn't want to tell you because I didn't know whose side you were on and I was afraid you'd turn me in," Leila's speech was rushed and frightened, while she kept her head calm to think of a plan.

"Why do the Imperials want you?"

"My deceased cousin, he was in alliance with the Stormcloaks. Apparently, he had a pretty important job because Imperial soldiers were sent after me and his brother, but neither of us have ties to the rebellion."

Skjor looked at her for a long minute before speaking up, "Kodlak?"

The old man leaned back in his chair and stared at her intently, "I have only one question," he said, "when did the Imperials become the Dark Brotherhood?" He tossed a piece of paper down- a letter, with a black hand at the bottom. Leila groaned inwardly. Every plan she'd made thus far was just tossed out the window and any hope of trying to leave without fighting was snuffed out. Why the hell would the Brotherhood leave something like that behind anyway? "No more stories," Kodlak said. "Sit."

He motioned towards the seat across from him and hesitantly Skjor stepped back and she sat down. The letter on the table between them.

_ 'As instructed, you are to use any means necessary to capture the target and bring her to the rally point _alive. _The Brotherhood has made an exception to its laws for this instance. We've received the first payment of 500,000 gold for this contract. Failure will result in immediate execution.'_

"Now, I don't know, but I think 500,000 gold, for a simple 'first' payment, is pretty steep for a mere farm girl," he said. "When you were out, Danica paid us a visit, told us you had scars all over your body. Scars you don't get from a life plantin' crops." Leila looked away. She hated being reminded. "Also, I have never heard of the Brotherhood going against it's own rules. They're assassins, not kidnappers," Kodlak paused and leaned forward towards her, "who are you and what did you do?"

Leila knew it was pointless to lie at this point. It was over. She wondered why she had even bothered to try anyways. Yet, she still knew she couldn't tell them the _whole _truth, less they give her a fate worse than death. "My name _is _Leila. But, I'm not a farmer and I don't live in Solitude and I don't have family. I was just…I just got caught up in some pretty bad stuff."

"Obviously," Skjor said.

"Let her speak," Kodlak said.

She looked up at the men, Farkas was no longer struggling, but studying her with a look she took to be confusion and…disgust. "The man I worked for, he entrusted me with a pretty big job. And I didn't just fail him, I went against him. He didn't like that."

"What made you go against him?"

Leila started at the table, her heart going heavy, "I couldn't do it," she whispered.

"Do what?"

"My…employer, he had a very wealthy client. He offered him the biggest shipment of gold I'd ever seen to…take care of some business."

"What business was this?" Kodlak spoke with a patience that for some reason sounded reassuring, even though she knew he was likely more of a threat to her than the bald guy with the sword.

"The client had some enemies that he wanted to be dealt with so he could climb the political ladder. But…he didn't want them dead. The boss always breaks up the job so no one person is responsible for more than one stage. I was given the final stage. My only order, the _only _thing that I knew was that I was to go to a given location and eliminate whoever I found. But, what I found… The client didn't want his enemies dead, he needed their support and their money. He used us to gain his leverage to get it."

"What was his leverage?"

"Their children," she said, looking Kodlak in the eyes as he sat back in his chair processing what she was telling him. "He'd had the children kidnapped on the promise that they would be returned should their families throw him the support he needed. They did so, but there was never any intention to reunite the kids with their families. So when I arrived at the location, I found twelve children, none of them older than ten, locked up in a cage in a remote part of the mountains. They'd been there for two days already, half starved and frozen and crying. I'd been given the key prior to the mission, but….I just couldn't do it. I left them in the cage and I rode into Riften, told them I'd been out hunting when I'd found them. I led them back then stuck around long enough to see them safely inside the city. Then I hauled ass in the other direction. I made it to Ivarstead before they caught up with me."

Kodlak took a deep breath and sighed. "You know, a lot of people come to us to be reborn. They come from dishonest lives because they know they can do better. And we give these people a chance because there is honor in redemption."

"You can't be serious, Kodlak," Vilkas chimed.

"I am," he said, "I am serious. The fact that you saved those kids, knowing that it would mean your death shows me you have not gone too far-"

"You don't know what all I've done-"

"It doesn't matter," he cut her off. "you take this offer and who you were is dead and a new woman will take her place."

"It's not that easy."

"It is that easy," he told her. "You will spend the rest of your days bringing honor to the Companions and to yourself. You will live an honest life. You will be our shield sister and we will defend you as you will defend us."

"How do I know you just won't sell me out," she said.

"Haven't you been listening, girl?" Skjor said, "we're the Companions, when we give out word, we keep it."

"You can accept or you can be on your way right now, living the rest of your days in hiding and in fear for doing the right thing."

"I don't think one right thing negates all the bad things."

"No," he told her, "but it proves you are not all bad."

Leila sighed, was she seriously considering it? Never once in her entire life had she thought she'd end up being offered a deal by the leader of the Companions. But deep down, what he was offering her was something she wanted desperately. She had been so ready to end her life and Kodlak wasn't only offering her an end, he was also offering her a brand new beginning. She didn't actually believe her past could be erased or that it wouldn't catch up to her, but there could be a chance for her here. A chance for what she had always wanted. A real life. Leila looked at Farkas, "you found me. Without you, I would have been dead. I owe you my life and so I will allow you to decide where it goes from here."

He looked at her intently for a long minute that felt like an hour before he finally said, "I would welcome you among the ranks of the Companions." Vilkas seemed less than pleased with this and Skjor wasn't exactly bursting with joy either.

"It's settled then," Kodlak said, "you are now our newest whelp. Your training will begin immediately," he looked up at the brother and Skjor before standing, "let's go introduce everyone to their new shield sister."


End file.
